logo
episode-header-image
Jun 2023
27m 36s

Myanmar’s war in the air

Bbc World Service
About this episode

Russia is supplying the Myanmar military with advanced fighter jets and training their pilots how to use them in a war against their own people. More than two years on from the coup, the country’s military is facing a countrywide armed uprising and their troops are struggling to hold ground and recruit foot-soldiers. So, the strategy is turning increasingly to the air with devastating consequences. BBC’s Asia editor Rebecca Henschke follows those fighting back on the ground and in the air. And meets defectors from the airforce who give exclusive insight into the strategy and psychology behind those operating these deadly machines.

(Photo credit: Free Burma Rangers)

Up next
Today
Brazil's Miracle: an Indigenous disaster
During the Brazilian military dictatorship, the Krenak indigenous people were banned from speaking their language, imprisoned in reformatories and forcibly displaced from their land. In 2024, the State asked them for forgiveness. Can it be granted? Journalist Pūlama Kaufman trave ... Show More
49m 32s
Yesterday
Tackling loneliness in India
India is known for its close knit families and communities, but modern work practices mean more and more people are living far from home, and suffering from loneliness. Reporter Sumedha Pal in Dehli shares the stories of some of the people in India who are trying to find creative ... Show More
26m 28s
Yesterday
Trump and autism: People affected speak out
President Donald Trump recently addressed what he described as the “horrible crisis” in autism, and rapid rise in reported cases over the last two decades. Previously, he has suggested a link between some vaccines and autism, and in his latest remarks, he warned pregnant women to ... Show More
22m 58s
Recommended Episodes
Jun 2024
The Army of Poets and Students Fighting a Forgotten War
Warning: this episode contains descriptions of injuries.Myanmar is home to one of the deadliest, most intractable civil wars on the planet. But something new is happening. Unusual numbers of young people from the cities, including students, poets and baristas, have joined the cou ... Show More
26m 10s
Feb 2024
What’s behind the civil war in Myanmar?
It’s been three years since Myanmar’s military coup when the army took control of the country, a decade after agreeing to hand power to a civilian government. A civil war broke out after the after the military used lethal force to put down mass protests in the weeks after the cou ... Show More
15m 48s
Feb 2021
Waking up to military rule in Myanmar
In the early hours of Monday morning, Myanmar’s military detained de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi and several other members of the National League of Democracy party, taking control of the country’s government. This means Myanmar is under military rule again, just as it was from ... Show More
15m 50s
Nov 2023
What Threat Does the Rebel Offensive in Myanmar Pose to the Junta?
In this episode of Hold Your Fire!, Richard is joined by Crisis Group’s Myanmar expert Richard Horsey to talk about the offensive launched by the Three Brotherhood Alliance, comprising three ethnic armed groups, that has made rapid advances against Myanmar’s military in northern ... Show More
40m 47s
Dec 2012
Burma
Lucy Ash asks what the explosion in popular protest over a Chinese-backed copper mine says about changes in Burma and asks if this is a test case for the government's commitment to democratic reforms. Farmers' daughters Aye Net and Thwe Thwe Win have led thousands of villagers in ... Show More
28m 13s
Apr 2022
Defecting online: How soldiers are deserting the Burmese army
Myanmar has been engulfed by a civil war which is getting deadlier and more violent as time goes on. Last year the Tatmadaw – the Burmese armed forces – overthrew the civilian-led government, led by Aung Sun Suu Kyi. Now they’re acting with impunity, allegedly committing heinous ... Show More
22m 3s